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This thread is started to compile all the loose information about Erasmus Haarlock, his legacy, his dynasty, the adventure trilogy, and to speculate about this ill-fated Rogue Trader and his connections to other Dark Heresy themes. A place to theorize, speculate, share views and secrets and come away inspired ... let us be prepared before the Dark Traveller returns!
About the nature of Haarlock's dark legacy, in an earlier thread on its connection to the Tyrant Star, I offered this:
After having read Tattered Fates , I have some new notions about the mystery of the Tyrant Star.
It is something coming from another time, something from the past sent to the present, and cannot yet fully manifest in our time, so it's limited now to spectral appearances.
Erasmus Haarlock is behind it all. He wants to recreate time or return to a former epoch in order to get his wife and daughter back. For example: returning to the past to prevent their fates from happening. That is why he is lost now .. he still exists but in another time, in the past.
Perhaps he has killed all the Haarlock descendants because he wants to undo the things they have done, some great evil they wrought, and he wants to reset things to a time when they were not yet doing those dark things he has come to regret now.
Now I have read Damned Cities , and it shed some more light on these secrets. The themes of time and clocks are continued, and on p70 it says literally that he means to undo the past to get back that which he has lost, i.e. his wife and daughter. So that's Erasmus' goal: to control time, the past and the future. In the words of the Mirror Daemon: 'to change what was and master what can be'. Also note the message between the gilded spiders in the tower of Haarlock's Folly in Damned Cities p37: 'The future is ours', and the message above the stunning drawning of the daemon on p52 of that book: 'All shall be returned'.
It leaves a lot to ponder:
1) how is this all connected to the Tyrant Star, the black sun which is featured in Haarlock heraldry and which plays a part in Tattered Fates? In
House of Dust And
Ash, on p213 of Disciples of the Dark Gods, there is heraldry of the black sun on Haarlock's tomb, and words that read 'Death is but a door'.
2)what is the connection to the Hyades Locks mentioned in The Radical's Handbook (p82), which is linked to the 'portals of sleep', which is referred to by the line 'show me the portals of sleep' on the silver key that is among the auction items in
House of Dust And Ash
. In the Radical's Handbook it says that the key 'was once held by the Herald'. Haarlock is the Herald. The whole thing of locks and keys is a theme investigated in the utmost secrecy by the Tyrantine Cabal so there you have another connection to the Tyrant Star.
3) what is the relationship between 'the first and the last' of their line, Solomon and Erasmus Haarlock?
4) what is the significance of the golden spider heraldry on p36 of
Damned Cities
, which is coupled to the black sun emblem? why the spiders, suddenly?
5) is the Gilded Widow in
House of Dust And Ash
a representation of Haarlock's daughter? On p219 of Disciples of the Dark Gods she seems to say as much.
6) the pages of
Tattered Fates
Damned Cities
are shot through with barely readable 'handwritten' letters. On p56 of the last book for example it says: 'we entered the realms between worlds where there is no time or space'. What the hell is this?
7) what do we make of the prophecy issued by the
Gilded Widow in House of Dust And Ash
(p219): "The black sun burns and he comes, riding its wake (...). At its passing the eye shall be snuffed out, the carrion lords thrown down, and the hungering ones torn from the outer dark.'
Tyrant star? Eye of Terror? And the carrion lord is the Emperor ???
Also note, btw, that in Tattered Fates there is a clear reference to the other two Haarlock adventures: 'The Mirror shatters and the Island burns', on p56 which ofcourse is about the events in Damned Cities and House of Dust And Ash .
I am really curious to what you people think of this all and which insights you have gleaned from the secrets and tidbits of information scattered over various books. Every speculation, guess and hunch added here is highly appreciated


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Katy DiVittorio is the 2013 recipient of the New Members Round Table (NMRT) Shirley Olofson Memorial Award. This award, named in honor of the late NMRT President Shirley Olofson, is given annually to defray the costs of attending the ALA Annual Conference. Criteria for the award include membership in ALA and NMRT, promise or activity in the area of professional development, and financial need.
Katy is a Serials Acquisitions Specialist at Auraria Library in Denver, Colorado. She earned her MLIS from San Jose State University (San Jose, CA) and her BA in psychology at Seattle University (Seattle, WA). Katy is active in the library profession, including within ALA, NASIG, and CAL. She will receive $1,000 to attend the ALA Annual Conference in Chicago, IL.
The committee would like to thank all who applied for this year's Shirley Olofson Memorial Award. Further information about this award, including past recipients, is available at the NMRT awards page.
Thanks to Shirley Olofson Memorial Award Committee for all of their work!
Easter DiGangi, chair
Gail Shimokawa
Heather Thompson
Jenna Goodall
Kristin Jacobson
Mary Oberlies
Michael Mungin
Nicole Brock

subset: commoncrawl


text:
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How can we ever stand up to this!?
Zakim [sic], we're going to try a little logic exercise here. I say the sky is blue.
You say the sky is green. Just because you never say the words " the sky is NOT blue" doesn't mean you're not disagreeing with me. If you tell everyone you meet "The sky is green, no matter what anyone else says" then you are saying, by NEGATION, that the sky is not blue. When a teacher asserts that "the world was created when stuff blew up" they are teaching, by negation, that it was not designed. When they say that everything came about by accident, they are teaching, by negation, that there is not design!
Simply put, the sky cannot be both blue and green. So, if I teach my children the sky is blue, then I'm teaching them it is NOT green.
That came to us from Lena, our latest creationist commenter, who's over in this comment thread. I guess it must be a brilliant analogy, because Lena assures us she's not some dipshit trailer trash hick, but that she's been "educated above the master's level," which I take to mean she has a master's degree but hasn't yet gone for her Ph.D., though it may not actually mean that at all. Indeed, she isn't clear about what she means by "educated above the master's level." You'd think if she had a master's degree, why wouldn't she just say, "I got a master's from [name of university]."
Anyway, I had a little trouble with her logic, such as it is. Somehow I was able to reconstruct the argument this way.
When a teacher teaches students that the first president of the United States was George Washington, they are teaching, by negation, that it was not Daffy Duck. Simply put, the first president could not have been both George Washington and Daffy Duck. If I'm teaching children it was George Washington, I am teaching them it was not Daffy Duck.
Apparently, when you teach childen anything, you are in fact teaching them the "negation" of whatever thing it is you aren't teaching them. Or something. So, like, if you teach children that 2 + 2 = 4, you are, by "negation," teaching them that 2 + 2 ≠ 5,622. And that's bad, I think she's saying. Or not.
Oh well, it's a little hard to noodle out what stunning point Lena thought she was making there, especially if she was trying to draw some analogy to the whole "teach the controversy" argument. I mean, anyone can go outside and see the sky is blue, at least if the weather's clear. We cannot go outside, however, and look at the sky and see the Christian God. Except in that scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, but I'm informed that was a special effect. So I guess, above-master's-level education or not, creationists seem to be chock full of stupid when it comes to arguing their beliefs.
Head on over there, and have fun.


text:
Recipe Robber
Old-fashioned Beef Stew
Nothing crazy - just classic, delicious flavors.
2 pounds stew beef
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups water
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 or 2 bay leaves
1 medium onion, sliced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
Dash ground allspice or ground cloves
3 large carrots, sliced
3 ribs celery, chopped
1 potato, peeled and cubed
2 tablespoons cornstarch
Brown meat in hot oil. Add water, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, bay leaves, onion, salt, sugar, pepper, paprika, and allspice. Cover and simmer 1 1/2 hours. Remove bay leaves and garlic clove. Add carrots and celery. Cover and cook 30 to 40 minutes longer. To thicken gravy, remove 2 cups hot liquid. Using a separate bowl, combine
1/4 cup water and cornstarch until smooth. Mix with a little hot liquid and return mixture to pot. Stir and cook until bubbly.


text:
Member for
12 years 1 monthBio
Nicolas' first car recollection was the back of his family's friend's Bugatti 37 at 6. After many Alfa Romeos, it wasn't until he drove an AC Propulsion eBox in 2006 and a Tesla Roadster that it was clear where the future of the automobile was, the electric drive. Contemporary cars don't spark his interest as much as old ones and now alternative energy vehicles. Nicolas has been covering auto news for the past seven years. He can be contacted at [email protected].


text:
For leaders assuming the CEO title for the first time, taking time to learn and think translates into early successes. But the problem is there's little time to do either. Information comes at them more quickly, more people than ever before demand their time, and they're told that the myriad decisions piled in front of them are all important.
If hired from outside, there is a new culture to get used to and it's not clear who to trust. Even when promoted from inside, the pace can be jarring compared to running a division in the same company. In both cases, any new leader must manage intense exposure (as it sinks in that top leaders have few places to escape to) and unrealistic expectations (of both self and others).
There is nothing new leaders can do to avoid these problems completely. All they can control is how they react to them. Because we tend to make mistakes when things speed up, especially when in unfamiliar territory, it can make all the difference to find ways to slow things down.
The French philosopher Blaise Pascal pointed out that "All of humanity's problems come from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone." He didn't mean sitting quietly in front of a laptop responding to emails. The best thinking comes from structured reflection — and the best way to do that is keeping a personal journal.
I started keeping a journal when I took over a manufacturing research, software, and consulting firm. I was very young, we were in crisis facing a challenging market, and I wasn't sure whom I could rely on. I kept a journal through my 12 years as chairman and CEO and have since recommended it to people moving into any senior position for the first time.
There's strong evidence that replaying events in our brain is essential to learning. While the brain records and holds what takes place in the moment, the learning from what one has gone through — that is, determining what is important and what lessons should be learned — happens after the fact during periods of quiet reflection.
Also, when we slow things down and reflect, we can be more creative about solving seemingly inscrutable problems. Take, for example, a technique called the "second solution method" that I've used in the past. If a group was struggling to come up with options to solve a tough problem, we would brainstorm to identify a list of possible solutions. Before switching to prioritizing, making items specific, etc., we tried to identify all possible options. I found the best approach was to tell the group to take a break and when it reconvened to ask, "What else occurs to you?" Inevitably, this simple question resulted in about 50% more items, often of higher quality. By experimenting, I found that the break that took place between the first and second rounds was more important than the question. A journal is an effective, efficient, private way to take a similar break.
Journal entries should provide not only a record of what happened but how we reacted emotionally; writing it down brings a certain clarity that puts things in perspective. In other cases, it's a form of mental rehearsal to prepare for particularly sensitive issues where there's no one to talk with but yourself. Journals can also be the best way to think through big-bet decisions and test one's logic.
While personality, style, and situation cause different approaches, some guidelines have proven useful for the best results. Notes should be made as soon as possible after an event from which one wants to learn—ideally the same day. Waiting more than 24 hours seems to sacrifice specificity about details that made the most difference and why they happened. An entry should begin with the primary outcome — the headline that best captures the major result. Then, list the essential reason for that outcome; an always-subtle root cause made apparent by asking "why?" five times to peel back each layer, revealing what came before. (I remember reviewing my journal once and realized that several big-bet decisions turned on the right question asked at just the right point in the debates. Fortunately, my notes were in enough detail that they showed that the same subordinate asked the right question each time. I started listening to him much more closely). Third, recall the emotions that affected decision making and why they flared. Last, identify what you can learn from the whole experience and what you can do differently next time.
Many will opt to keep a journal on their computer or iPad. While that may be more efficient, the point of keeping a journal is not efficiency but to reflect and slow things down so that learning is maximized. For that purpose, handwriting may work better. The novelist Paul Theroux has said that he writes long-hand because, "The speed with which I write with a pen seems to be the speed with which my imagination finds the best… words." He noted a 2011 Newsweek article that said, "Brain scans show that handwriting engages more sections of the brain than typing [and] it's easier to remember something once you've written it down on paper."
With so many benefits of keeping a journal, why do so few leaders do it?
It takes time, a most precious asset. Because a journal requires reflection, it's best done during quiet periods, which are rare for any leader.
Sometimes, keeping a journal requires reliving something one would just as soon forget. Even though a vital step in learning, it's unpleasant.
Because many leaders prefer to rapidly move on to the next challenge, reflection is not high on their list of things they enjoy or have much experience with.
Like any tool, it takes time to perfect the best way to use it. The methodology offered here did not happen right away, but came after many trials and errors.
These are minor drawbacks compared to the benefits. Slowing things down leads to better-thought-through, more effective judgement and to learning what to do more of and what to change. One result, as important as anything, is an increase in the satisfaction that should come from being in charge. A personal journal should be part of any leader's toolkit.
Read More at https://hbr.org/2017/07/the-more-senior-your-job-title-the-more-you-need-to-keep-a-journal


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An official website of the United States government
News Release 2012-3 | January 10, 2012
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WASHINGTON—The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency will host a workshop for directors of nationally chartered community banks and federal savings associations in Orange, California, at the Doubletree Anaheim–Orange County, January 23-25, 2012.
The workshop provides practical information that expands bank directors' skills and understanding of issues facing their banks. Entitled, "A Director's Challenge: Mastering the Basics," the workshop is geared primarily to directors of national community banks and federal savings associations with assets of less than $5 billion who would like to review the fundamental requirements of their position.
The workshop costs $99. Attendees receive pre-course reading and course materials, an OCC telephone seminar CD, a director's toolkit, other supervisory material, and lunch. The workshop is limited to the first 35 registrants.
For information or to register online, visit https://www.occ.gov/about/who-we-are/occ-for-you/bankers/bankers-education/directors-workshop-schedule.html or call (240) 485-1700.
Bryan Hubbard (202) 874-5770


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Forget the almanac. And the calendar. Forget whatever the weatherman or the newspaper or the next-door neighbor with the hair growing out of a mole shaped like the state of Delaware on his nose told you. The true worm-hole opening to summer is not the upcoming solstice on June 21; it's the last Monday of May, Memorial Day.
Memorial Day: when the world alters unalterably for every kid and teacher across the land. By now, the cages have either sprung open or the locks are being picked and the imprinted DNA of every true-blooded American tingles in anticipation of the 10 to 12 weeks of school-free adventures looming ahead like a sun-kissed valley below a fog-enshrouded summit. Even if we don't get to stop in the valley, we can recall when we did and grin wistfully.
Officially, the last Monday of May was carved out as a peaceful moment to lay wreaths at the tombs of all the young men and women who sacrificed their lives for the security of this nation, not to mention the multitude of valiant drivers tragically lost in Midwestern automobile races.
Unofficially, it's a time for the whole of America to stop in the headlong momentum of the year to lean on a freshly painted picnic table and catch our breath. Summer? Already? How the heck did that happen? Wasn't it just the other day we were taking down our Xmas cards? Of course some of us still have our Xmas cards up. And just exactly what is wrong with that?
Most importantly, Memorial Day marks the beginning of the flesh-charring season. Our own at the beach eating al fresco for the first time all year, and those many brave, slow mammals on a freshly scrubbed Weber who gave their lives in order for us to raise our cholesterol levels to heights where Sherpas fear to tread.
This is a time for fireworks and pie and tires swinging on ropes over rivers and roasted marshmallows and ice cream on sticks that melt down your hand all the way to the elbow. And golf and corn and hiking and lemonade and thunderstorms and baseball broadcasts on AM radio and spending a week in the middle of August jammed in the back of a station wagon with no air conditioning, an incontinent 18-year-old basset hound and a leaking Coleman cooler.
Some people even find camping relaxing. Good for them. For me, the outdoors is where the car is. Roughing it means cable TV without Turner Classic Movies. You say "wilderness," I think spotty cell-phone reception.
My vacation plans comprise of room service, Perry Mason marathons on hulu.com and the crazed midnight looting of many hotel mini bars. Forgive me folks, but my idea of a good time does not involve sleeping on rocks, going potty behind trees and dodging mosquitoes the size of La-Z-Boy recliners. Think more along the lines of waitresses shepherding sweaty bottles of cold beer poolside.
Our season of frenzied leisure will too shortly end on Labor Day, so hurry out there and have one terrific summer full of languid days and untroubled nights. May you frolic and cavort and gambol and caper in a madcap series of wacky, zany antics that are fondly remembered always. All while keeping the sand off of your hot dog.
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South Africa Adventure Travel in South Africa | Africa Homepage | Geographia Home South Africa is one of the most geographically varied countries of the African continent, comprising territory that ranges from the rolling, fertile plains of the highveld and the wide open savanna of the Eastern Transvaal to the Kalahari desert and the peaks of the Drakensberg Mountains. While all of its diverse regions offer ample opportunities for adventure travel, the focus in South Africa--as in much of sub-Saharan Africa--is the safari. In addition to possessing two of the world's most renowned wildlife reserves, the Kruger and the Kalahari Gemsbok National Parks, the country contains over a dozen smaller regional parks and reserves. In addition, with its excellent road and rail systems, its abundance of top-rated accommodations, and its bountiful farmlands and vineyards, South Africa allows visitors ample opportunity for more luxurious comfort along with adventuresome excitement. Location, Geography, & Climate South Africa is located, as one might expect, on the southern tip of Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean on the west, the Indian Ocean on the south and east. Along its northern border, from west to east, lie Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe, and to the northeast are Mozambique and Swaziland. Wholly-enclosed by South Africa, and situated in its eastern central plain, is the independent kingdom of Lesotho. Almost all of South Africa's 472,000 square miles (1.2 million sq. km.) lie below the Tropic of Capricorn, and the country is geographically composed of three primary regions: an expansive central plateau, a nearly continuous escarpment of mountain ranges that ring the plateau on the west, south, and east, and a narrow strip of low-lying land along the coast. Most of the central plateau (and most of the country) consists of high (4,000-6,000 ft/1,220-1,830 m), rolling grassland known as highveld. The highest points of the mountainous escarpment are found in the stunning Drakensberg (dragon's back) Mountains, where the tips of dragon's back can exceed heights of 10,000 ft (3,050 m). In the northwest, South Africa's Kalahari Gemsbok National Park, one of the continent's largest game reserves, extends into the red sands and scrub grasslands of the great Kalahari Desert. In the northeast, the highveld plateau descends to the Bushveld and Limpopo River basins. The Bushveld comprises South Africa's extensive savanna, in which is found the country's marvelously rich and diverse game reserve, the world-renowned Kruger National Park. Although South Africa's climate varies considerably across its various regions and environments, temperatures remain comfortable throughout the year. The best time to visit for safari is between May to August, when there is less rain and much less dense vegetation, making animal sightings far more frequent. History & People South Africa's population of forty million is three-quarters black (African) and about 15% white (European), with the remaining 10% comprised of people of mixed white, Malayan, and black descent and people of Asian (mostly Indian) descent. The African majority is composed of many different ethnic groups, the largest of which are Zulu, Xhosa, Tswana, and Bapedi. Until very recently, the country's racial divisions were harshly enforced as part of the government's official policy of Apartheid, or apartness. Although the government began to dismantle apartheid in 1989 after prolonged resistance, protest, and international economic sanctions, racial inequality remains pronounced in South Africa. Adventure
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